


The Jungle Dark

by darthrevaan (Burning_Nightingale)



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Memories, Mission Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:12:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2818316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burning_Nightingale/pseuds/darthrevaan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old mission and a new one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Jungle Dark

**Author's Note:**

  * For [volta_arovet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/volta_arovet/gifts).



> Hi! Sorry this is quite short - hopefully you still enjoy it! Happy Yuletide!

Their command trainer had warned them about several things before they dropped.

The man was human, scarred on his face in several places, perhaps in his mid-fifties. It was hard for Rex to judge age, given his limited experience, but in the few human and co-species relations classes they'd taken, there had been small sections about age identifiers. His name was Arryn Ninta, and he was generally reserved and slightly grim of mood.

"First of all, native creatures," he barked as the dropship began to make its decent. "Simply, there's a lot, and most of 'em will want to eat you. Shoot first and ask questions later, *unless* you see this bugger," he brought up a holoimage of a huge quadruped with horns and a long tail, "in which case, just run as fast as you can in the other direction. Secondly, conditions. Hot, high humidity, limited sources of water, very thick foliage. Remember your training, stay on your toes. And lastly, your mission objective." He brought up a map on the holoprojector. "Two teams will be dropped at point A and point B, here and here, equidistant from point C, here. The objective is to get to point C first, with _all_ your team members. Extra points will be given if all members of a team arrive at point C unharmed."

Rex felt a flash of nerves in his stomach. Extra points for returning unharmed? That suggested this planet was a lot more dangerous than Commander Ninta was making it out to be.

"Remember," Ninta was yelling, "This ain't no walk in the park. If you can't hack it, you get left behind, simple as that." He gave a grimace that was almost a smile. "Three cadets got eaten in the last round of this exercise. I hope to see all of you again at the finish point."

With those reassuring words, the dropship doors opened. "Group A! Go! Go!" they heard Ninta yelling over the wind. Attached to the abseiling harness, Rex took one quick look at the view below - a sea of greenish-purple, the top of the jungle canopy writhing wildly in the wind from the dropship's thrusters - and then took a firm grip on his rope and jumped out into empty air.

/

Rex had been assigned the position of second-in-command of their small group, while Cody took the lead. Rex had been partnered with him quite a few times in training exercises on Kamino, and they had shared one other off-world mission. He and Cody were friends, he thought, as much as he was friends with anyone. Sometimes the other clone got on his nerves a little, playing fast and loose with some of their orders, but on their off-world mission he'd seen first-hand how sometimes not following orders exactly to the letter could produce good results. Most importantly, he trusted Cody to lead their mission, which was more crucial than anything else.

"Alright men," Cody said when they'd all successfully landed and the dropship had droned off into the distance to drop off Group B, "We've got a slight head start on Group B, so let's use it. We're heading towards that big mountain over there," he pointed off behind him, "and it looks about three days march to me, if we keep a good pace."

"Permission to ask a question, Commander," one of the troops - Buzzer, Rex recalled - said smartly.

"Granted trooper."

"Did we get a holomap?"

Cody patted his pocket. "All taken care of, don't you worry. I think this mission is about testing our survival skills, rather than our navigation."

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, no more questions?" When his question was answered with silence, Cody nodded briskly. "Right. Let's get moving."

The brush was, as Ninta had said, thick. Soon enough they were using their small vibrosaws to cut through the massive growth of foliage and trees that blocked their path. As Nox enthusastically took the largest vibrosaw to a huge tree branch that was blocking their path, Rex noticed Cody was glancing around uneasily. He sidled over to him and asked discreetly, "Something wrong, Commander?"

Cody didn't take his eyes off the canopy. "I keep remembering what Commander Ninta said about the wildlife. All this noise we're making could attract something."

Rex patted his rifle. "Shoot first, ask questions later, remember? Whatever's out here can't be too terrifying if we can fend it off with blasters."

"I guess," Cody muttered, unconvinced.

"They wouldn't send us somewhere too dangerous, Cody," Rex said, lowering his voice. "Clones cost a lot of money, y'know. Each clone is a valuable investment, Ka Nara said that."

"Sure, except those three who were eaten here in the last training exercise," Cody snapped.

"Come on, Ninta was just bluffing. I bet no one got eaten."

"You say that, but I'm never sure with that guy."

That was a huge snapping noise, and the buzz of the vibrosaw cut out. "Got it, Commander!" Nox yelled back to them.

Rex clapped Cody on the shoulder. "No one's died or even injured yet. You're doing a good job, Commander."

Cody gave him a grin. "Thanks."

/

They'd seen some of the promised native creatures later in the day, large animals with gaudily patterned hides, long tails and four legs with long fingers that easily gripped the tree branches. They hadn't attacked, just sat in the trees and watched the clones pass, chattering to each other, so Cody had ordered that they leave the creatures be.

When the sun neared the horizon Cody had called a halt, and they'd set to making the shelters they'd all practised constructing out of branches and the huge, bell-shaped leaves of a native tree. Some of the efforts were better than others - Tab and Ringer's shelter was listing badly to one side, which they had been mercilessly ribbed about - but they all had something to sleep under. As the sun slipped below the horizon Cody was making a round of the ring of shelters, checking for sturdiness and reminding everyone to put up the insect sheets that would protect them from disease-carriers.

Rex had bent four of the long, flexible branches of a nearby bush and lashed them together at the top, then wrapped the frame with the bell-shaped leaves, sticking the leave to the frame with the sap that collected at the bases of the tallest, most populous tree species. He'd made his and Cody's shelter a little bigger, as was required by protocol for what would serve as their makeshift command tent. When Cody came back from his round he looked impressed. "You didn't really manage this by yourself, did you Rex?" he asked, ducking inside.

Rex was setting up their sleeping mats. "Sure. Did it in training too."

"Well, _I_ did it in training, but we were working with a smooth surface and pre-cut materials then." Cody looked around and grinned. "Well, I sure am glad of this roof over our heads."

"Watch all set?" Rex asked, unfurling their tiny, thin pillows.

"Yep. I've got everyone eating ration bars, as a precaution. Don't know what we could attract with a fire."

"Good, sensible. Well," Rex sat back on his heels, surveying his work. "I suppose the only thing left to do is eat dinner and sleep. Unless you want to have a command meeting."

"I think everything is going well so far," Cody said with a small smile, "I don't think we need one."

Rex huffed. "Don't jinx it by saying things like that."

Cody laughed.

/

Rex woke up to the sound of rain pattering against the roof above his head.

For one blurry moment, he thought he was still sleeping under the cover of a rough shelter of bell-shaped leaves, but after a second his senses cleared enough to make out the sheeting of the army-issue tent he was staring at.

Dreaming. He had been dreaming about a training mission, the second he'd ever been on. He shuddered as he thought about it. Everything had started out so well - until their encounter with the horned, tailed thing Ninta had warned them to run from. No one had been eaten, but they hadn't got the extra points for arriving with all their team members unharmed. And, after that first clear day, it had rained non-stop for the next two. He could still smell the mix of blood and rain and mud that had assaulted them as he'd determinedly dragged one of his injured comrades up the steep slope of the mountain toward the finish point.

Now, everything was different. Calmer, despite the fact that they were in the middle of a war. All he could hear was the soft patter of rain on the roof of the tent, and the low sound of four others' deep breathing as they slept around him. All he could smell was the mix of plant smells that wafted in from outside, the smell of leaves and sap and mud and a hint of the fragrance of a jungle flower, the peculiar smell of the rain, the slightly musty air inside the tent, and - he grimaced - an unpleasant odour that was probably General Skywalker's feet.

There would be another argument about that in the morning, he thought with a sigh. The General was supposed to leave his boots outside the tent, under the cover of the small door canopy, but he usually forgot about it. Rex just hoped General Kenobi and Commander Tano wouldn't repeat their refusal to talk to him for four hours, like they'd done the last time he'd 'forgotten' to leave his boots outside. He was starting to think these specially picked small-team missions weren't all they were cracked up to be - they just left more room for the Jedi to act as they would without the formalities of the clone command structure, which Rex had discovered sometimes wasn't in the best interests of productivity.

There were six of them on the mission. They had only one tent, which had a small portable communication hub set up in the middle. Arranged around it were bed rolls and sleeping bags, three a side. The Jedi were sleeping on one side - General Skywalker was nearest the door, on his back, softly snoring, with Commander Tano rolling over in her sleep in the middle and General Kenobi silent on the other end. Rex was in the middle of the opposite row, with Cody on his right - on his side, facing Rex, making an odd face in his sleep - and an empty sleeping bag on his left. Something clicked in Rex's brain, and he remembered why he must've woken - he was supposed to be taking over watch from Fives, who would be sitting outside.

Rolling up from his sitting position, Rex stretched out cramped muscles and pulled on his boots and armour as silently as possible, then ducked out of the door flap.

Fives grinned as he turned his head. "Nice to see you, Captain," he murmured, getting up and stretching his back. "It's a bit miserable out here, alone in the rain."

"You're lucky. You could have the General's boots keeping you company," Rex said with a small smile.

Fives grimaced. "I suppose we'd better brace ourselves for that argument again in the morning." Then he grinned wickedly. "Maybe General Kenobi will throw General Skywalker's boots into the river this time, like he threatened to."

"That would be satisfying for him and _only_ for him." Rex clapped Fives on the shoulder. "Go in and get some rest. You earned it."

Fives gave him a small salute and ducked back inside the tent. Sighing, Rex settled himself down into a cross-legged position, and stared watchfully out into the rain.

It was perhaps an hour and a half, two hours, before he heard another stirring behind him. After ascertaining that the noise was coming from the tent, he frowned slightly. Cody wasn’t supposed to be taking over watch from him for another two hours at least.

 _Someone must have woken, from a nightmare, perhaps._ Wouldn’t be anywhere near the first time _that_ had happened.

A few seconds later he heard footsteps, and the rustle as the door flap was pushed aside. “I thought I’d find you out here,” Ahsoka’s voice said, still sounding a little sleepy. “You didn’t mention watch rotas,” she said, a slight chastising tone to her voice as she sat down next to him.

“I thought you and the Generals needed your sleep, Commander,” he said, nodding respectfully to her. “This is a recon mission. Unlike in confirmed enemy territory, we don’t have to be quite so nervous about being sprung upon by clankers.”

Ahsoka snorted. “Like you’re taking safety any less seriously because we’re not in confirmed enemy territory.”

“I never take safety lightly, Commander.”

She smiled fondly. “I know you don’t, Rex.” Then she sighed. “I’m just saying, you could let us help.”

“It’s a kind offer, Commander,” Rex said, because he did recognise and appreciate what she was trying to do. There weren’t many Jedi officers who would volunteer for watch duty, especially when a clone had deemed it unnecessary. “If we do need your help, I will ask, I promise.”

“Okay,” she nodded, seeming content to leave the conversation there.

They sat for a long time, mostly in silence, sometimes conversing quietly. Rex didn’t ask her why she’d woken, or why she’d chosen not to go back to sleep. He got the feeling none of the Jedi liked what they saw in their dreams.

He didn’t often like what he saw in his, either, and he usually kept that to himself.

In the end two hours were up, and Cody woke like clockwork to relieve Rex of duty. He didn’t even bat an eyelid when he found Ahsoka outside with him, just nodded a respectful, “Commander,” and took Rex’s place, though he refrained from sitting down.

He needn’t have bothered with restraint, though, as Ahsoka followed Rex back inside. “I suppose I should try and sleep til dawn,” she murmured.

“Yes. Goodnight, Commander.”

At her answering murmur, Rex turned away and wrapped himself once again in his sleeping bag. There was no hint of dawn light in the sky as yet, and he would take every chance to rest. Even if he didn’t like what he saw in his dreams.

 

 


End file.
